Lightning-arrester.



E. WEINTRAUBF LIGHTNING ARRESTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1911.

1,01 1,538, Patented Dec.12,1911.

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E. WEINTRAUB.

LIGHTNING ARRESTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1911.

1,01 1,538. Patented De0.12,1911.

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UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE.

EZECHIEL WEIIl'TBAUB, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN-OB, TO GENERAL ELECTRIC 1 COMPANY, a coaroaa'rmu or NEW YORK.

IIIGHTNINQ-ARRESTER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EZECHIEL VVEIN- TRAUB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Light- .ning-Arresters, of which the following is a rester consisting of a special form of vapor electric device which .is sensitive to overvoltage disturbances and furnishes a low resistance discharge path therefor, but imposes a prohibitively high resistance to the passage of current of normal voltage. The vapor device is provided with conductive deionizing bodies in the path of the arc. These bodies have the effect of preventing the formation of and interrupting an arc unless its voltage is very high, the voltage necessary to overcome the deionizin effect and to maintain the arc varyin wlth the conductivity and size of the deionizing body;-

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows one form of vapor electric device having a glass envelop connected to a transmission line; Fig. 2, shows a modified form of electric device having a quartz envelop and connected to a transmission line through a spark gap; Fig. 3 showsa vapor electric device connected to a transmission line through a resistance; and Fig. 4 illustrates a modification in which the ionizing side branch arc is absent.

As shown in Fig. l, the mercury vapor devices 1 .and 2 are connected between the transmission line 3 and ground, as indicated, by the cathode 4 and the anode 5 respectively. The electrodes are connected to the conductors by means of stout platinum wire sealed in the glass wall, as usual. The

anodes consist of some suitable refractory Specification of Letters latent.

Application filed September 5, 1911.

Patented Dec. 12, 1911. serial No. 647,575.

7 material, such as graphite; the cathodes con sist of mercury, or similar vaporizable material. In each of the devices a supplemental anode 6 is provided which maintains a side branch are supplied with current from a storage battery 7, or any other convenient source. This side branch are, as usual, ionizes, or maintains conductive, the space between the cathode and anode, so that, when potential is impressed on the main anode, an arc can be formed. I

I have found that a conductive-body in the arc path exerts a deionizing, -or so to speak, arc'rupturing influence. In other words, it counteracts the tendency of the side branch to start an arc, and tends to disrupt an are which has been started by a high voltage when the voltage has been reduced. Therefore, to prevent the line current from either starting or maintaining an arc under ordinary conditions in the vapor device and to prevent it from maintaining an are which a surge or lightning discharge has started, a conductive body 8 1s provided in both of the arcs between the anode and. cathode. The voltage value necessary to overcome the deionizing effect of this mem ber depends upon the conditions,chiefly, of course, upon the proportions of the deionizing body. This deionizing body may consistof the metallic tube as indicated in Fig. 1, or a roll of metallic gauze as shown in Fig. 2, or of disks of metallic gauze as shown in Fig. 3. Various other modifications will readily suggest themselves.

It will be seen that, when the lightning stroke, high voltage surge, or other. abnormal phenomena, produces a dangerously high voltage in the transmission line 3, an arc will form either through the device 1; or 2 to ground, depending upon the polarity of the high voltage disturbance which thus will be discharged. When the arc is once started, the line can readily discharge to earth as the resistance of the mercury arc is very low. An oscillatory dischargetakes place through the two mercury arc tubes gradually diminishing in amount. As soon as the voltage falls to a safe value, the arc will be extinguished by the presence of the; deionizing body 8.

In the modification of my device illustrated by Fig. 4, the exciting side branch arc is absent. In this case, a small amount of gas, such as hydrogen, is left in the tube,

its pressure being in the neighborhood of, and referably less than 0.1 mm. This gas will ower the resistance of the tube so as to allow an over-volta e disturbance to start an arc and thus be dischar ed. In other res ects the construction 0 the arrester is similar to those already described.

If desired, the arc extin ishing efiect of the arrester may be still rther increased by placing aspark gap between the line and ground in series with the vapor electric device, as is indicated at 9 in Fig. 2, or, by placing a resistance in circuit with the dc vice, as indicated at 10 in Fig. 3. In any event, the length and shape 0 the deionizin body, the length of the spark gap, or the vaTue 0 the resistance, are so ad usted that an arc ma be formed and maintained at a predetermined over-voltage and not at normal voltage.

In order to increase the current carrying capacity of the vapor electric device, the

envelop may to advanta e be made of material more refractory t an glass, such as quartz. In this event, the leading-in conductors should consist of a material having substantially zero coeflicient of expansion. Fig. 2 shows a device in which plugs 11 of nickel steel make a ground tapered joint in the quartz envelop 12. The construction and the arrangement of arts shown in this figure are otherwise similar to that already described in Fig. 1.

What I'claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,

1. The combination of a device to be protected, a discharge apparatus comprising an evacuated envelop, electrodes therein one of which consists of vaporizable material, means for maintaining said apparatus in a condition conductive to current of a, voltage greater than a predetermined value, and means for rupturing an arc when the voltage falls below this value.

2. The combination of a line, or other device to be protected, a lightning arrester comprising an evacuated envelop, electrodes therein one of which consists of mercury, and conductive material in the arc path between said electrodes.

3. The combination of a device to be protected, a lightning arrester comprising an evacuated envelop having a constricted portion, main electrodes disposed near op osite ends of said constricted portion one 0 said electrodes consistin of vaporizable material, and a metallic d in the arc path between the main electro es.

4. In combination with a line or device to be protected from high potential disturbances, va or electric devices in discharging relation t ereto, a discharge connection for said devices, and a conductive 'deionizing body in the ath of the arc in said devices.

5. In com ination with a line or other device to be protected from' high potential disturbances, vapor electric devicesone of which has its anode connected to said line and another a cathode connected thereto, an earth connection for the coac-ting electrodes, and metallic material in the path between said electrodes.

6. In combination with a line or other de- ,vice to be protected from high potential dis- EZECHIEL WEINTRAUB.

Witnesses:

J OHN A. MOMANUS, J r., FRANK G. Harris. 

